Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-21
DROUTH RELIEF.
Full and Official Report to the Leg
isIature OF the Special UrOuths
Relief Committee.
An Estimate of the Destitut1on by Coun
ties, and the Total Amount of
Funds Appropriated.

To the Honorable, the Senate and House of
Representatives of Texas:
In accordance with the provisions of an
act passed by your honorable body,
"To provide for the relief of citizens
of Texas suffering by reason of the
drouth,"
The undersigned committee, appointed
by his excenency, L. S. Ross, Governor,
have performed the duties assigned them
as fully as practicable, and beg leave to
submit the following report of their &C
tions:
The committee, on receiving their COM
missions, repaired at once to what was
denominated the "drouth district" the
limits of which were not defined by the
terms of the act.
The committee remained together until
six counties were visited, when, finding
it would be impossible to cover the entirc
territory affected by the drOuth within
the time allowed by the Legislature, they
separated, each member taking a certain
number of counties per week, and report
ing at place of rendezvous on each Sun
day.
In this matter thirty-four counties
were visited, and representatives of three
others were met at convenient points 50
that the district investigated comprises
no less than thirty-seven counties.
No county has been investigated from
which requests for assistance had not
come. In nearly ali cases such requests
came from county officials.
1t was made the duty Of the COM
mittee TO ascertain the extent of the
drouth. they have found that the fol-
| lowing counties are more or less affected
by it, namely:
Lampasas, Brown, Runnels, Coleman,
Callahan, Eastland, Stephens, Young,
Palo Pinto, Clay, Wichita, WIlDarger,
McCulloch, San Saba, Llano, FriO,
ShackefOrd, Haskell, Martin, Fisher, No
Ian, Comanche, Hamilton, TnroCkmor-
ton, Baylor, Wise, Jack, Parker, Jones,
Taylor, Erath, Hood, SOmervell, Bosque,
| Montague, Hardeman and Archer.
The drouth belt extends from the
northeast TO the southwest. The COun-
ties of Lampasas, Bosque, SomervelI
! Hood, Parker, Wise anu Montague are
on its eastern boundary. Westward of
these counties, so far as heard from, the
drouth has been quite general.
After sitting all the evidence that could
| be obtained, the committee estimates that
| the results Of the prOtraCted drOuth, ex-
tended in some localities over eighteen
months, seriously affect %, $50 persons,
and appropriations have been gagged by
| that estimate.
The committee have confined them
selves to no particular class of testimony
in their investigation. While they have
placed much confidence in the reliability
of the testimony of county officials,
they have sought the opinions
of business men and other
reliable citizens wherever they have gone,
and have based appropriations on what
seemed to be the very lowest estin ate that
could be justly made of the numbers of
the needy.
The names of most of those who tes-
titled are in the hands of the committee,
along with memoranda of their testimony,
| but the extent of the evidence is too
great to embody it in this report. It is
preserved for reference.
The committee estimated that the
amount appropriated by the state would
furnish about 1926 per capita to the
actual settler.
Preliminary appropriations were made
as the investigation proceeded
in order to meet immediate necessities;
the final appOrtiOnment was lot made
until the committee had concluded their
Investigations.
The following tabulsted statement
shows the estimated number of destitute
persons in each county and the amount
appropriated for their relief
ESTIMATE OF DESTITUTE PERSONS IN
EACH COUNTY AND AMOUNT APPROPRI-
ATED TO DATE.